I am a young Golden Retriever who was a homeless dog, I was moments away from being killed when I was rescued by Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR), given a foster home, then a forever home. I write this blog to inspire other dogs and humans to help find homes for abandoned dogs. My family takes in fosters now and I help homeless dogs find their way to forever homes. Write me at Mogley.retriever@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies hosted a GRRReat Halloween party for both dogs and humans on Sunday. Humans think that Halloween is a human holiday or event. They don't realize that dogs are the real reason for Halloween. Dogs created Halloween as a time to practice the skills necessary for hunting. By holding an annual competition between dogs to see who can best disguise themselves in order to stalk prey, they created a holiday that the humans have embraced and even taken over for themselves. Dogs use many disguises in order to stalk their prey. For example, one excellent disguise (see below) is a Golden Retriever in a frog costume. How better to hunt ducks in a lake or pond than to disguise yourself as a frog and hide in the pond? What cunning hunters we Golden Retrievers are.

Halloween has been taken over by humans, in response, the disguises dogs use have evolved to allow for our new hunting grounds and hunting tactics. Now we hunt in the malls, kitchens and yards of people. Our prey is no longer deer, pheasants, ducks or bears, now we stalk the elusive tennis ball and the wily Milk Bone. Hence the new disguises we are forced to wear. While camouflage worked better in the fields and streams where we used to hunt, today, "Cute" earns more treats. Being stealthy in the field is a traditional approach, but dressing up in ribbons and bows, no matter how embarrassing, is the best way to capture snacks.

The picture below shows a very good disguise to use in chasing the elusive tennis ball, disguise yourself as a baseball player. What a cunning way to capture the wild balls in left field.

There were a lot of tennis balls being thrown, the dogs were busy retrieving them for the humans. Why do humans have such a surplus of tennis balls that they can throw them away so casually? Golden's know that tennis balls are very valuable and we attempt to retrieve them as often as possible. There was also a lot of food on the tables, food that could have been used to feed a hundred starving dogs. The humans hogged it all, brats and hot dogs by the dozen, salads and so many deserts I could not even count them on four paws. There was a silent auction for many gift baskets, toys, books and wine. The official Golden Retriever gift table was full of sweat shirts, jackets, hats, t-shirts, statues and figurines, pictures, writing paper, note pads and wall hangings, all for sale to the Golden-Aholics. A lot of Christmas shopping took place for the Golden fans of the world.

We were lucky enough to have a visit from a couple that had just come from an appearance on the Jerry Springer show, along with their delinquent child, a recent GRRR graduate.We had the mandatory hot dog, complete with mustard and a soda. One disguise that should result in a lot of plunder is the political disguise, shown below. By disguising themselves as politicians running for office, Golden's can accept many treats, there is no limit to the amount of contributions you may make to a dog campaign. We all know that politicians get all the good stuff, mostly under the table, but we will take our treats wherever we can find them. Their platform is certainly one that we can all agree with.

Cute seemed to dominate the costume show. In the pictures below a lot of dogs have lost their self respect, not to mention their ability to move unseen across the hunting fields. Still, the goal is to capture treats and toys, and several dogs went home with huge baskets of goodies, prizes for pandering to their humans taste in frilly outfits. What works, works, I guess. Times change and so must our hunting tactics. Our cousins came as Greek Gods, Emma, Piper and Molly were covered in frilly stuff. It was a great costume, but not too practical for hunting or chasing balls. Still, it did earn them treats, head pats, compliments and even a tummy rub or two.

Bella and I went as ourselves, we wore our Reindog outfits. We did not win a prize, but I guess that is to be expected since we were not really in disguise, going as ourselves. We did bring one of Santa's helpers to vouch for our authenticity. At least, now, there can be no doubt about Reindog's being the real hero's of Christmas and Reindeer being a fraud. Now you know, Reindeer do not pull Santa's sleigh, it is done by sure footed Reindogs. They are the real hero's of Christmas, fetching presents to children all over the world on Christmas eve. You cannot deny the truth! This Christmas you should leave eight dog treats along with the milk and cookies. Since Reindogs carry the real work load, we need the energy from the snacks. Santa could use a few less snacks, if you don't mind, cut back on the milk and cookies a little please. That sleigh is pretty heavy when loaded with gifts, if Santa would lose a few pounds we could make our rounds a lot faster, and haul a greater load of toys. It is a win-win for children everywhere.Thanks for your help in spreading the truth about this terrible fraud that is being perpetrated by members of the deer family.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

What a party we had today (Sunday). It was the GRRR annual Halloween costume party, ball fetch party, and snack fest. I met a lot of my old friends that I have not seen for a long time, and I made lots of new friends. I am very tired from chasing all of the tennis balls and playing with the other dogs. Humans kept throwing tennis balls out into the field, several of us would run, grab them and bring them back. But before we could return them, they would throw more. We would have to drop the ones we had and race back to get the new ones. This went on and on, they must have brought a thousand tennis balls. I will write more later after I have my nap. In the meantime, here are a few of the pictures from the costume party to keep you interested until I can blog some more. The picture below shows Santa with his two Reindogs, Bella and I. As you can clearly see, Reindogs are not a myth.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Someone asked me if my blog was the truth or was it made up? That is a silly question, everyone knows that dogs don't lie. Cats lie all day long, that is what they do. Dogs never tell anything but the truth. Except for blogs such as this, most dog/human communication is non vebal.

When we bark it is because there is a reason to bark. There may be someone at the door, or a truck drove by, or a squirrel has invaded the yard, or a cat trespassed on the dog path, or the mail man is late getting here, or a leaf blew by in the wind. There is always a reason.

When we drool it is because we see food, or we see you open the door where the food is kept, or we hear the crinkle of cellophane which may mean you are opening the treat bag, or we may smell cooking from next door, or we remember where we buried that bone we lost, but always there is a reason.

When our tail wags, it is never to lie, it is always for a good reason. Maybe you just came back from shopping and we need to greet you and tell you we missed you, or maybe we are complaining because we did not get to go along, or we may be hoping you will give us a head pat, or we may be asking for a treat, or just hoping for a treat, or because we have been sleeping on the couch and we hope you won't notice, or we chased the cat while you were gone and it sure was fun, or we maybe we have a tail cramp from napping in the wrong position, but always there is a reason.

No, dogs don't lie. If you took all of the great fiction in the world that was written by dogs, put it in on one shelf in the library, you would have a shelf full of blank paper.

The fact that dogs don't lie is also the reason we don't run for public office. Could a dog on TV say, "My opponent has accepted tainted dog bones as bribes for not barking at intruders?" Could a dog make a speech and accuse his opponent of "Being a serial cat chaser?" Could we say, "My opponent is a bitch?" No! Except for the part about the opponent being a bitch, that might be true.

All of my blogs are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Well, maybe there is a little exaggeration now and then, but it is just poetic license,. That is the excuse the reporters on the evening news use for their lies, why can't I use it to? The dog rescue stories are all true, but some of the Santa Clause information has been "tweaked" to protect the innocent.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Everyone has read terrible stories about dogs rescued from terrible and dangerous situations, but we don't expect them to be this close to home. The next rescue that came to Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) is a terrible story. Mary wrote a long message to the members and volunteers describing what happened. It began with a message on the surrender hot line. Here is a portion of Mary's e-mail message:

"A woman and her family found a senior Golden who had been dumped in a field. They called GRRR and wanted us to take him in, they knew that the owner had lied to the vet and his kids. He told the vet he had euthanized the dog and the kids that the dog, Brodie, died in the field. Well, he's a liar... Animal Control had just left with Brodie when I called her back to let them know we would love to have Brodie. The ACO wanted to take Brodie with him as they were going to pursue abuse/neglect charges on the owner. The ACO asked if they would like to sign the release of ownership to the shelter as they were pursuing neglect/abuse charges. The owner signed him over. But as he did this, he told the ACO that he had given Brodie sleeping pills to kill him and then took him and dumped him in the field and thought he was dead."

Brodie was released to GRRR where he was given a vet check up, several small growths were taken off. Brodie was then taken to a foster home where they report he is playing non-stop with an Australian Sheep dog that the family had picked up at the same time, (GRRR also coordinates Aussie rescues).

The Animal Control officer is pursuing charges against the owner for his attempt to kill the Brodie. They say that "all is well that ends well", to us a good ending for this rescue will be when the former owner ends up being punished for his actions and Brodie finds a loving forever home, maybe with his Aussie friend with him. That would truly be a Golden ending.

This is not the end of the new dogs coming into rescue. The volume of dogs that are in need of new homes is becoming greater by the day. Stay tuned for the next chapter of the Rescue Chronicles.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

I was first terrified, then horrified, then I hide my eyes under my paws. My human received a very long letter from Mary at Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) which he left up on the screen for me to read. Mary wrote a long message about several very disturbing rescues that had recently been handled.

I have written about many fun rescues, and a few disturbing ones, but none as wrenching as what has recently happened. The first rescue she described concerns an advertising flyer for a farm auction sale. It listed chickens, livestock, and three Golden Retrievers. Rescues do not pay for dogs as a rule, but members quickly volunteered to cover the cost if GRRR could get possession of the Goldens at the auction. A volunteer agreed to attend the auction and bid on the three Goldens for GRRR. She successfully bought them for the Rescue after some bidding. The three Goldens were being housed in a muddy pen in deplorable conditions. When the rescue volunteers approached the Goldens to take them home, the dogs laid down in the mud and tried to hide, a typical response from dogs that have not been socialized and are not used to human interaction.

Can you even imagine what had to happen to make three Golden Retrievers hide from people? We are talking Golden Retrievers here, you know, the ones that greet you at the door with a rush! Golden Retrievers that beg you to throw a ball so they can play fetch with you! Golden Retrievers that lick your face and hands to show love. Golden Retrievers that will lay their head on your leg and worship you with their eyes as you relax in your easy chair. Instead, these Goldens were so scared that they wanted to hide from human contact. Goldens that were being sold like used lawnmowers and laying hens.

Have we forgotten about that phrase "Man's Best Friend" that we can treat 3-4 year old Goldens like used books or broken pots in a garage sale?

Thanks to GRRR three lost Goldens are on their way to new homes. Thanks GRRR and all of the other rescue organizations that rescue, care for and re home dogs every day.

This is not the worst case Mary told us about. I will write about a second case when I have recovered, you will be shocked!

If you don't work in rescue, call your local rescue and volunteer. Find your local rescue and donate time and money to help rescue dogs. The economy is getting worse, people are abandoning dogs and cats in greater numbers. We need your help more now than ever. Volunteers transport dogs, walk dogs, evaluate them, train them and help find new homes for them. Volunteers write newsletters, schedule events, recruit volunteers, clean kennels, exercise dogs and play with them to help them transition to a new life. Join us, it will brighten your day and it will save a dogs life.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies annual Halloween Party and Reunion Picnic is on Sunday, October 26th. Did you miss the wonderful picnic at the lake? Well, don't miss this! The world is going to the dogs, and this is where all the dogs are going!

All year long Bella and I have been wearing our disguises as mild mannered Golden Retrievers. At Halloween we can take off our disguises and appear as we really are; Santa's ReinDogs. Last year we exposed the whole Santa and Reindeer hoax.

For our new readers, here is the true story! Santa has always used Golden Retrievers, known as Reindogs, to pull his sleigh. There is overwhelming proof available. Deer have sharp hooves that could never stand on a steep roof, the soft pads on our feet keep us from sliding off roofs and keep Santa safe on his rounds. All of the pictures of Santa and the Reindogs show strong, handsome, golden colored animals pulling the sleigh. We all know that Donner and Blitzen are dogs names, not deer names. Deer are named John Deer or Bambi, not Prancer and Vixen. In order to "fetch" toys and gifts to all the girls and boys, Santa needs a team of golden Retrievers for the job. Do you really think a deer knows how to fetch? Man's best friend brings presents and gifts, not deer. How do you think dogs became man's best friend if not by delivering gifts? When did you see a deer bringing you a present? Who do you think eats all of the cookies people leave out? Deer eat hay, Reindogs eat cookies. I will admit that too many cookies give me indigestion, so this year I hope more people set out dog treats instead.

The reason Reindeer get all of the photo publicity shots is that they have better agents and they work for hay. We are interviewing agents to get us better parts in the movies. Hollywood has used reindeer instead of reindogs just because they work for a lower wage. We may not deliver presents to Hollywood this year!

If you still doubt that Reindogs pull Santa's sleigh every Christmas Eve, just look at how many Reindeer were entered in last year's Iditarod Sled dog race? It takes a dog to pull a sleigh.

Remember that famous Christmas Carol poem? It was written by a poodle owner that did not want to use Reindogs in his poem because he knew it referred to Golden Retrievers, not to poodles. He may have been using poetic license because "eight tiny Reindeer" rhymed better than "Eight beautiful Reindogs".

This Halloween, we are going to attend the annual Golden Retriever Rescue Halloween Party and Reunion as our real selves, Reindogs. No costumes for us, just our good looking coats. Santa Clause has agreed to attend with us to vouch for our authenticity. He says he is getting tired of all those pesky deer hanging around trying to horn their way into his pictures, he says they have bad breath. Last year the first prize for the best costume was a large basket of dog treats, I can already taste them.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

We are five dogs again. It is so much fun to have my cousins back for a sleep over for a few days. They said they will stay here until they move into the new house. We have not been able to take in new foster dogs until our cousins are safely in their new home. It is more fun to play with our friends than it is to play with strangers. New foster dogs are sometimes so scared and shy for the first few days. Emma, Piper and Molly are not shy, they come in and are right at home. Here is a picture of four dogs at play. You probably can't find four, just the tip of one tail is visible. But we sure are having a good time.

Piper and Molly had to jump on the pool cover to make sure there was no water where they used to swim. The humans yelled at them. It was no fun because there was no water to splash in anyway.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

I have not been blogging for a few days. I am in mourning. They covered the swimming pool for the winter. Where once there was joy and fun, now there is only a large black canvass cover. Life as we know it is over. No more splashes before breakfast. No more running inside wet and shaking the water off in the living room. No more getting yelled at and being locked outside when I am wet. The humans told me they would open up the pool again when spring comes. How long does winter last? I mean how long in dog years?

The human did not think it was funny, when he cleaned out the pool filter he dug out a large matt of dog hair that look like one of the carpets you clean your feet on at the door. He could knit a new retriever from all the hair if he had saved it.

My three cousins went back home, not only did I lose my swimming pool, but I lost my playmates as well. Life has been very boring, Bella and I went to the pet store and swiped some treats off of the counter, but it is just not the same as it is when five of us are playing.

I had my portrait taken today. I also practiced giving product endorsements. If anyone would like to pay me to chew up their product, I am ready.

My human has a birthday, he has asked people to make a donation to their favorite rescue organization instead of buying him stuff he does not need. The links on the left of the blog will take you to Golden Retriever rescue, or All Breeds Rescue, where you can find a rescue for any breed of dog or cat. They take credit cards on line. In these days of tight finances, dogs are always the first ones that are thrown out on the streets.